AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She gave Lis a wide smile. “That’s right. You’re not from around here. Am I right to assume you don’t have comms like this?”
“Not from around here.” A laugh huffed out of Lis. “You could say that. And no. My people’s tech is not nearly as advanced as this. In fact, I’m the first person to leave our solar system, much less our galaxy.” She peered over Sona’s shoulder at Nox. He leaned against a wall, his arms folded, his gaze intent as he watched Sona do her doctorly things. “And I’m guessing, since you’ve never heard of the Milky Way or Earth, there really is no way for me to go home?” She asked, a note of hope in her voice.
Nox’s brows snapped together, clashing like thunderclouds. “No. You cannot leave.”
With a slow nod at her new reality, she said, “Okay.”
It wasn’t okay, not really, but she had to deal with it, didn’t she? She swallowed the lump in her throat, thinking about everything she’d miss. When she accepted the mission, she’d prepared for the high probability of never returning home. Now, faced with the cold, hard truth, she had to say it sucked. Hard.
“Nox. You can’t say it that way. She’s just lost everyone and everything she’s familiar with,” Sona scolded, throwing a dark look over her shoulder at Nox as she dismissed the holo. “Have some compassion.”
He growled.
“It’s okay, Sona. I appreciate bad news delivered in the bluntest way possible,” she said dryly, her gaze flicking to Nox, who raised an eyebrow.
Sona snorted and gave her hand a squeeze. “You’re taking this much better than I would in your place.” Her grip tightened. “I don’t think I would do well without my family, even though they drive me crazy sometimes.”
“My family’s gone. Long time ago,” Lis said, waving away Sona’s gasp of dismay and Nox’s low grunt. “No pets, no significant other, either. I’ll miss my friends, though.”
Yeah, that part really sucked. Her heart ached at the loss of her close-knit crew. They’d served together, shifted into civilian life together, and three of the five of them worked at the same company as test pilots. They were the family she created after her parents died. And now they were a bazillion-plus miles away.
But a new spark ignited in her at the thought of discovering all this new galaxy had to offer. A feast of novelty and unfamiliarity. It wouldn’t replace the friends she’d left behind, but it could be a hell of a lot of fun.
“Memories of your time together will remain forever yours.” Sona cocked her head. “You know, if you need a friend, I’ve got an opening.”
She brightened, grinning at Sona. “Sweet. My first alien friend.”
“Hey, mine, too.” Sona smiled back.
“In my culture, in order to properly cement our bonds of friendship, we need to get drunk together.” A terrible thought occurred to her. “You do have alcoholic beverages in this galaxy, right? Please say yes because if not, I’ll be really sad.” There was nothing quite like a cold beer after a hard day, and she suspected this galaxy would send plenty of those her way as she learned to navigate it.
“Absolutely we do. To both the drinking and the getting drunk. I’m in.” Sona’s firm nod knocked her tidy bun askew. “And I want to hear about your human men. Are they as much a pain in the ass as the ones in this corner of the universe?”
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” she said with a grin.
Nox cleared his throat. “Doctor, if you are quite finished,” he said, his words stiffly formal, impatience radiating off him.
Lis quirked an eyebrow at him. “Pretty sure we’re just getting started.”
Sona snickered. “Oh, my sisters are going to love you.” With a brisk pat on Lis’s knee, she said, “You’re pretty much back to full health. We boosted your immune system to help acclimatize your system and added blockers to prevent the spread of viruses your body carries. The medi-bed also removed a worrying amount of toxins from your body, including heavy metals and a variety of chemicals.”
“Yeah, I’m not surprised,” she said, shifting on the uncomfortable slab as she tried to scoot the crinkly gown back down over her bare butt cheeks. “We’re not taking such great care of our planet, and us humans tend to be drawn towards things that aren’t good for us like pizza and french fries. But thanks for cleaning up the toxic sludge poisoning my body.”
Now that Lis was healed and safe, she couldn’t stop thinking about grabbing a hot shower, slipping on some comfy clothes, and finding something to eat. She needed all three of those things in any order she could get them. Ooh, a hot plate of crispy french fries and a well-seasoned, medium rare steak was calling her name, though she didn’t hold out much hope for food options. They probably had super-nutritious food cubes or some such scifi nonsense.
“You can thank Nox for bringing you here,” Sona said, the door sliding open automatically at her approach. “He insisted on only the best for his mate.”
Lost in her comfort-seeking thoughts, it took a second for that last bit to penetrate her brain. Her head snapped up, her gaze narrowing in on Nox. “His what now?”
He pushed off the wall, glowering at Sona, a growl rumbling in his chest.
“Oops?” she said, giving Lis a wink before darting out of the room.
7
NOX
His beautiful mate narrowed her eyes. “What did she mean by ‘mate’, Nox? I’m guessing she didn’t mean it like how Australians call their friends mate.” She crossed her arms, the disposable hospital gown bunching, the bottom hem sliding up to reveal more of those lovely, pale thighs.
